Nano-fabrication includes the fabrication of very small structures that have features on the order of 100 nanometers or smaller. One application in which nano-fabrication has had a sizeable impact is in the processing of integrated circuits. The semiconductor processing industry continues to strive for larger production yields while increasing the circuits per unit area formed on a substrate, therefore nano-fabrication becomes increasingly important. Nano-fabrication provides greater process control while allowing continued reduction of the minimum feature dimensions of the structures formed. Other areas of development in which nano-fabrication has been employed include biotechnology, optical technology, mechanical systems, and the like.
Nano-fabrication can include processing of substrates by exposing the substrates to multiple processing modules to form different aspects of a multi-layered structure that includes the substrate, such as etching, photoresist curing, and feature formation. However, transportation of substrates throughout the different modules of a nano-fabrication system can affect throughput of the system.